PM says he earns less than the Permanent Secretaries

Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has today revealed that his salary is less than what the Permanent Secretaries earn.

While speaking to the people of Kalabu, Commodore Bainimarama said that the Social Democratic Liberal Party has been circulating rumours that his salary was $1.2 million.

He said this is not true and SODELPA may have been just calculating his salary based on the six portfolios that he is holding.

It was earlier revealed that the highest salary for the Permanent Secretaries is $220,000.

Commodore Bainimarama said everything has been finalized for his party including the color that the party will be using.

He said he will sit with his proposed party officials in a week’s time where they will start mapping out plans for the general elections.

The Prime Minister said SODELPA leader Ro Teimumu Kepa is just bringing back racial discrimination by saying that the iTaukei scholarships will be brought back.

Commodore Bainimarama said this will only take Fiji back to political upheavals like 2000.

He said when people cast their vote in the elections, they should think of the future of their children.

The Prime Minister said increased land lease money has been given to landowners over the past few years.
 
He said in 2000, land owners were receiving $25 million while $52 million was paid out to itaukei landowners last year.

Commodore Bainimarama said this has also been shared equally amongst the landowners.

He also said he has taken up the Chairman’s post for Itaukei Land Trust Board because the President held the position in the past and was not aware of what was happening within the TLTB which had resulted in the Ballu Khan case when his loan was approved by the CEO of the TLTB at the time.

The Prime Minister also said that the Great Council of Chiefs was formed to help only the Itaukei.

He said now the ITaukei Affairs department is in place to cater for the development of the itaukei.

Commodore Bainimarama said the main reason he took the GCC out is because they were involved in politics.

He said this was evident in the previous years when the GCC supported the SVT in 1987 and the SDL.

The other reason given by Commodore Bainimarama was that the GCC was starting to have the last say in the government from 1987.

He stressed that he did not take away the authority of the chiefs but only took out the GCC to stop the chiefs’ involvement in politics.

Story by: Vijay Narayan & Aliki Bia